ANALYZING FREEDOM WRITERS - MASTER'S THESIS - DIVA PORTAL

Master’s Thesis

      Analyzing Freedom Writers
An analysis of the depiction of race in the film Freedom Writers and how

 using such films adds to student knowledge, values and attitudes

                                          Author: Corina Carlovici
                                          Supervisor: Anna Thyberg
                                          Examiner: Anne Holm
                                          Term: Spring 2021
                                          Subject: English
                                          Level: Advanced
                                          Course code: 4ENÄ2E

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Abstract

       The aim of this thesis is to analyze how the film Freedom Writers, released in 2007 and

directed by Richard LaGravenese, reflects on the topic of racism. The analysis is based on two

of the key tenets of Critical Race Theory, “Whiteness as Property” and “Commitment to Social

Justice”, which are used as analytical tools. Furthermore, the analysis also includes Racial

Identity Development Theory, which represents different stages of development as people begin

to define themselves in relation to others. This thesis further evaluates pedagogical implications

in connection to the analysis of Freedom Writers and Critical Race Theory. The results show

that racism is depicted in Freedom Writers through the concept of Whiteness as Property, and

the differences between white characters and characters of color are significant due to their

different views on social justice. In addition, the results show that Freedom Writers may serve

as a thought-provoking resource to use in the Swedish EFL classroom to create awareness about

and discuss the importance of aspects such as racism, empowerment, and social justice in the

world and with regard to the students’ own knowledge.

Key words

       Critical Race Theory, Whiteness as Property, Social Justice, Racial Identity

Development Theory, EFL, Upper Secondary School, Freedom Writers

Acknowledgments

        I would like to express my thanks to my supervisor, Anna Thyberg, who has patiently

helped and supported me throughout the journey of writing this thesis.

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Table of contents

     1    Introduction                                                           1

     2    Critical Race Theory                                                   5

         2.1   Whiteness as Property                                             5

         2.2   Commitment to Social Justice                                      7

         2.3   Racial Identity Development Theory                                9

         2.4   Pedagogical Framework                                            10

     3    Critical Race Theory Applied to Freedom Writers                       12

         3.1   Key Tenets of Critical Race Theory in Freedom Writers            13

           3.1.1   Whiteness as Property                                        13

           3.1.2   Commitment to Social Justice                                 16

         3.2   Racial Identity Development Theory                               18

           3.2.1   Racial Identity Development Theory for Characters of Color   19

           3.2.2   Racial Identity Development Theory for White Characters      22

     4    Pedagogical Implications for Freedom Writers                          25

         4.1   Whiteness as Property                                            25

         4.2   Commitment to Social Justice                                     28

         4.3   Racial Identity Development Theory                               30

     5    Conclusion                                                            32

     Works Cited                                                                35

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1 Introduction

       Texts come in a variety of forms, and by the mid-1990s, new genres of texts had been

created (Cope and Kalantzis 165). Films can be considered a text form, and when the first roll-

films became available, educators started immediately experimenting with them in their own

teaching (Masson 29-30). There is a great number of films available in good quality, quantity,

and variety (Sturm 247). People around the world watch films for entertainment or educational

purposes and the influence of film and audio-visual products in our society has grown

remarkably. Many sceptics consider that using films in the classroom can cause teaching to

become “mechanized”, as well as arguing that film is closely associated with the entertainment

sector (Masson 29). However, as Eef Masson argues, films are a powerful pedagogical tool and

can function as an effective teaching method that makes learning easier and more attractive for

students, because cinematography is appealing to them (31-32).

       Freedom Writers is an American drama film from 2007, written and directed by Richard

LaGravenese. The film is based on the non-fiction book published in 1999 and called The

Freedom Writers Diary, a compiled diary of 150 students from Long Beach, California and

their teacher, Erin Gruwell (Muzzillo 175). Gruwell is an idealistic teacher who starts her first

teaching job as an English teacher at a high school which two years earlier implemented a

voluntary integration program. The program is the reason why Gruwell wants to teach at this

particular school, and the classes Gruwell teaches consist of teenagers with different

backgrounds and experiences. The title of the movie is inspired by the term “Freedom Riders”,

referring to the multiracial civil rights activists who participated in Freedom Rides to protest

segregated bus rides (Arsenault 2).

       It being a film from 2007, Freedom Writers might not be highly popular among today’s

young adults and thus not very enticing, given that it might be seen as an old movie. There are,

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however, advantages with teaching it in the classroom. Freedom Writers deals with topics such

as empowerment, tolerance, ethnicity and race, and highlights the importance of overcoming

racial inequity and focusing on agency and the importance of making each individual’s voice

heard. However, the film can be seen as problematic due to its white savior narrative, because

when characters of color are “portrayed as damaged and/or dysfunctional, it sets the stage for

filmmakers to introduce a white hero to save” characters of color from tragedy (Murphy and

Harris 52). Given that the director of the film is a white person the concept of the white savior

narrative becomes even more powerful. The white teacher helps troubled Hispanic, African

American and Asian teenagers to find their path in life, which can be viewed as problematic

due to white supremacy in relation to the fact that the character portrayed as the hero is a white

person.

          It is of importance to mention that this thesis focuses on Freedom Writers because it is

a film that can challenge students’ thinking through its inclusion of actions and behaviors that

represent white privilege and Commitment to Social Justice (two aspects presented later in the

text. Evidently, there are films that include similar issues and aspects as Freedom Writers (see,

e.g., The Butler; The Help). However, an additional reason as to why Freedom Writers is the

chosen primary source is that it includes the school setting, which can also give students a

higher chance to relate to or to understand than other films could. Moreover, another reason

this essay is based on Freedom Writers is that it is a popular film with two awards, Golden

Camera Germany and Humanitas Prize, and one nomination for the Image Awards.

          The curriculum for upper secondary school mentions the importance of shaping and

conveying values such as “freedom and integrity of each individual, the equal value of all

human beings, equality between women and men and solidarity between human beings.” It also

mentions that no one at school should be the subject of discrimination because of their ethnicity,

religion etc. (Natl. Ag. f. Ed., ‘’Curriculum’’). This can be practiced in many ways, including

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through films. The topic of racism is sensitive, yet it is a reality and students in upper secondary

school could benefit from discussing this topic with each other. The syllabus for English

highlights the importance of giving the students the opportunity to develop knowledge of

societal issues and cultural phenomena in different parts of the world where English is used

(Natl. Ag. f. Ed.). In this case, Freedom Writers is a beneficial example of issues in the society

where racism and violence among students from minority groups are shown.

       Including Freedom Writers and similar films in the classroom could provide English as

a Foreign Language (EFL) students the opportunity to compare and relate the events in the film

to events in Sweden and around the world. For example, a current event is the Black Lives

Matter, a movement against anti-blackness that can be useful in a comparison with the events

in the film. Given that the majority of Freedom Writers is set in the classroom, it could be easier

for students to relate their own experiences to the ones in the movie. The genre of the school

story is prominent in literature and the school setting has been present especially in books since

the late 1800s (Grenby 87). Relating one’s own experiences to others’ is something highlighted

in the syllabus for English, which specifies that students should be given the opportunity to

encounter spoken English of different kinds and relate the content to their own experiences and

knowledge (Natl. Ag. f. Ed.). Sweden is a multicultural country, and students might have gone

through or seen others go through what the characters in Freedom Writers do, and in that way

can relate those experiences to the film content.

       Nonetheless, there might be teachers who are reluctant to working with such films

because of the controversial and sensitive issues they refer to. However, working with Freedom

Writers in the classroom could be a step forward towards preparing students for real life by

showing them the reality of the world we live in. One important reason to teach such topics in

the classroom is to educate students to enact open-mindedness and fairness as well as helping

them develop mutual respect and the ability to analyze and discuss controversial issues

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(Chikoko et al. 6). Not only does it bring awareness of today’s issues, but it also helps students

strengthen their English language skills. Class discussions about the film and its content help

students develop their communicative language skills as well as watching the film adds to their

skills of understanding spoken English.

       There has been research on the inclusion of films in the classroom, many based on

historical films and their effect on educating students on the events of the past (see, e.g., Butler

et al.; Gokcek and Howard). Reviews of and research on racism in American films have also

been done (see, e.g., Prorokova; García). Moreover, research on racism in Freedom Writers has

been done (see, e.g., Petersen), along with research on the effectivity of applying various

activities in Freedom Writers to the classroom (see, e.g., Wahyu and Malikatul). There is,

however, not a considerable number of research on Freedom Writers from a Critical Race

Theory (CRT) point of view. Freedom Writers includes issues such as racism and social justice

which, according to Dorian L. McCoy and Dirk J. Rodricks (6), are two of the issues that CRT

deals with, making it relevant for the film and for this study. As mentioned earlier, showing

films in the classroom often acts as an entertaining activity at the end of a term. With that being

said, this essay aims to examine how the film Freedom Writers reflects on the topic of racism,

an analysis based on two of the tenets of Critical Race Theory, Whiteness as Property and

Commitment to Social Justice, as well as on Racial Identity Development Theory. By analyzing

the representation of the abovementioned issues in Freedom Writers, this thesis argues that

racism is proven to be reoccurring throughout the film, through characters’ actions, as well as

arguing that working with the film in the classroom gives students a chance to see the

importance of empowerment and of having their voices heard.

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2 Critical Race Theory

       The choice of using Critical Race Theory as the theoretical framework for this essay is

based on two of the key tenets of CRT, Whiteness as Property and Commitment to Social

Justice, which are recognizable aspects in the film Freedom Writers, and will be presented in

the following two sections. Additionally, Racial Identity Development Theory, which is related

to CRT, will be presented in the third section, as well as presenting it in connection to education.

In other words, this essay has, among other pursuits, the intention to analyze how Whiteness as

Property, Commitment to Social Justice, and Racial Identity Development Theory are

represented in the film.

       Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework inspects the “unequal and unjust

distribution of power and resources along political, economic, racial, and gendered lines”

(Taylor 1, qtd. in McCoy and Rodricks 5). In Freedom Writers, the most evident inequality that

Taylor discusses is the one connected to racism, thus the one that this essay mostly focuses on.

With its tradition of questioning the ideologies and narratives of society through a critical

conceptual lens, CRT aids the better understanding of racial inequality (Zamudio et al. 11).

According to Daniel G. Solórzano and Tara J. Yosso, CRT accounts “for the role of race and

racism in education and works toward the elimination of racism” (25). In the field of education,

CRT is used to understand issues of school discipline, bilingual and multicultural education etc.

(Delgado et al. 7). The present study analyzes a film set in a high school, which makes CRT a

relevant theoretical framework, since it is used, among others, in the field of education.

2.1 Whiteness as Property

       Property is defined as the benefit of having the rights of possession, use, transfer,

disposition, and exclusion, which are, for the most part, rights afforded white people (McCoy

and Rodricks 11). Robin DiAngelo argues that white people “hold the social and institutional

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positions in society to infuse their racial prejudice into the laws, policies, practices, and norms

of society in a way that people of color do not” (22). Having more social advantages, rights,

and benefits than people of color is also called white privilege (Fitzgerald 41). The terms white

privilege and Whiteness as Property will be used throughout this essay in the same manner,

since they both are connected to the advantages afforded white people. The value of whiteness

in relation to other races is more significant as long as it maintains its exclusive privileges

because the more rights and privileges of whiteness are granted to other races, the less value

whiteness maintains (Zamudio et al. 33).

       Freedom Writers is mostly enacted in the school setting which makes discussing

Whiteness as Property in the school context more suitable. Richard A. Orozco argues that in

schools around the U.S., Whiteness as Property functions to create schooling inequality as, for

example, rights to use different materials and enjoyment (822). There are differences between

schools where the majority of students are white and schools with predominantly non-white

students, and the differences concern material and curricular inequities. Further, inequity in

schools regarding Whiteness as Property is also affected by reputation and status of property

(Orozco 822). White children are provided with greater educational advantages, and the use of

standardized tests to track students to determine who goes on to college provides white

supremacy with a powerful tool in maintaining the property interests of whiteness (Zamudio et

al. 33-34). Not only that but Whiteness as Property in schools and the inequality that comes

with it is also associated with the right to exclude, meaning that non-white students have been

constantly excluded from schooling experiences that white students get to enjoy (Orozco 822).

Thus, from a perspective of Whiteness as Property, white children are placed in high achieving

schools that have little reason to challenge a system that benefits them, and children of color

are relegated to low achieving schools that have few resources to change a system that does not

benefit them (Zamudio et al. 34).

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       The situation of the difference between schools mentioned above can be seen as the

result of the exclusion of people of color from owning their homes. Since the 1990s,

homeownership rates of people of color in the United States have been 25 percent lower than

those of white people (Tesfai 1005). Rebecca Tesfai points out that the large homeownership

gaps between white people and people of color suggest that minority households face

discrimination in the housing market, and that racial discrimination often occurs during the

home purchase process (1008). The difference between white households and those of people

of color in the U.S. is relevant for this study because in Freedom Writers the difference between

white characters’ homes and the homes of characters of color is substantial.

2.2 Commitment to Social Justice

       Social justice is an equal division of social advantages, benefits, and burdens in society

(Israel and Frenkel 648). According to McCoy and Rodricks, “with its emphasis on social

justice, CRT accounts for race and racism’s role in education” (14). Critical Race Theory is

committed to resist racialized inequality and injustice restricting access to social, political,

economic, and cultural resources. It focuses on change toward social justice for people of color

and the empowerment of minority groups that are oppressed and marginalized (McCoy and

Rodricks 14). In the next paragraph I will turn to Paul Kriese and Randall E. Osborne’s

questions related to judgements about justice and injustice (44).

       Regarding social justice, people of color, as well as white people, are supportive and

cooperative with each other if a decision is just, yet if there is an injustice, people’s responses

may be sabotage, protest, or rebellion (Kriese and Osborne 44). However, white people support

a just decision that benefits people of color only if it is beneficial to them as well. Derrick Bell

discusses this by arguing that society recognizes the rights of people of color only when and for

as long as the recognition serves the interests of greater importance to white people (146).

Kriese and Osborne describe five questions relevant to judgements about justice and injustice

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(44) and they will be presented since they are going to be used to analyze the film. Firstly, there

is the question about how feelings and attitudes are influenced by matters of justice and

injustice, and the nature of these feelings is often strong. Not only do individuals compare

themselves with others, and these comparisons determine their feelings, but they also focus on

the position of their group in relation to other groups in order to see if their circumstances are

just or unjust (Kriese and Osborne 44).

        Kriese and Osborne’s second question relevant for this essay focuses on three criteria

that people use to decide whether something is just or unjust, and these criteria are equity,

equality, and need (44). Equity means that outcomes may be matched to input, while equality

means treating everyone the same way, and finally, need focuses on providing the most benefits

to those who need them the most (Kriese and Osborne 44). The third question addresses

people’s responses regarding injustice, meaning that individuals’ responses differ from each

other depending on whether they are advantaged or disadvantaged. This means that individuals

with more advantages tend to deny that they are receiving more than they deserve, for self-

interest, while those with more disadvantages often do not act against the injustice, which may

be the result of powerlessness. In addition to that, these individuals’ inaction is also based on

worries about the damage it may do to their self-image. Also, when taking actions, there is a

high risk of causing civil disturbance and violence (Kriese and Osborne 45).

        The fourth question focuses on why people are concerned about justice, which is

connected to the importance of relationships and feelings of self-worth. Kriese and Osborne

state that “people interpret the way they are treated as indicating the quality of their social status

within the group,” and the feeling of not being valued by the group comes if they are unfairly

treated (45). This is a question relevant for Freedom Writers because a considerable number of

scenes depict the connection between relationships in one’s own group and the feeling of self-

worth. Lastly, the fifth question addresses why people care about justice, a question that aims

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to understand under what circumstances people become concerned about justice (Kriese and

Osborne 45). This last question is less relevant for this essay and will therefore not be explained

in more detail or be mentioned in the analysis.

2.3 Racial Identity Development Theory

        Identity consists of many aspects, and it is a prominent concept in CRT. However, the

choice of using Racial Identity Development Theory in this essay is based on its high relevance

for Freedom Writers. Identity is how we see ourselves, and Kathleen J. Fitzgerald’s view of

racial identity is the following:

        We establish our racial identity, our sense of who we are and how we view ourselves,

        through interaction with others. In addition to interaction with others, the way race is

        discussed and presented in society contributes to the creation of individual and

        collective racial identities (27).

Racial Identity Development is part of a process that differs for white people and for people of

color, in which people go through stages of development as they begin to define themselves in

relation to others (Fitzgerald 28). People of color go through five stages, but this essay will

focus on immersion, internalization and internalization-commitment on the grounds that these

three stages are most relevant for the characters in Freedom Writers. Furthermore, white people

go through six stages. However, only four stages, contact, disintegration, immersion and

autonomy will be considered in this essay (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 10). As mentioned,

the number of stages for each group is solely based on what is relevant to the characters in

Freedom Writers. These stages will be further analyzed and applied to Freedom Writers in the

literary analysis section.

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2.4 Pedagogical Framework

         Since CRT explores unequal and unjust distribution of power and resources along,

among other, racial lines, including Freedom Writers in the EFL classroom gives teachers the

chance to focus on inequality while addressing two of the important tenets of CRT, Whiteness

as Property and Commitment to Social Justice (Taylor 1, qtd. in McCoy and Rodricks 5). First,

many white people are of the opinion that acknowledging race is a form of racism and that

denying it means not discriminating against minority groups (Fitzgerald 13). The fear that white

people feel in connection to race is also called white fragility, a term defined by Robin DiAngelo

as the stress white people feel when confronted by problems related to race (2). Freedom

Writers contains many white characters to whom white fragility applies that seem to consider

themselves superior to others, as well as containing a considerable number of scenes where

white privilege, the oppression and prejudice against minority groups are obvious. These

aspects in the film will be further discussed in the analysis section of this essay. Second,

watching Freedom Writers in the classroom can lead to an understanding of how social justice

works, since the characters in it fight for justice and equality between each other. Third, the

characters in Freedom Writers make their voices heard and become increasingly empowered,

and for that reason, working with the film in the classroom can lead to what Jeffrey D. Wilhelm

and Michael W. Smith call social and intellectual pleasure (55). These terms will be further

discussed and applied to classroom practice in the pedagogical implications section of this

essay.

         Talking about racism in the classroom can be a difficult task regarding students’ fears

about breaking the race taboo and their anxieties about exposing their own internalized racism

(Tatum, “Talking about Race” 18). However, recognizing race and the differences between

individuals, also called being color conscious, gives us the chance to celebrate difference

without implying that difference means inferiority (Fitzgerald 13). Talking about race in the

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classroom gives students the chance to reflect on the roles and experiences, as well as functions

of race in their own and others’ lives (Guest 4). At the same time, the subject of racism in the

classroom, in connection to a film such as Freedom Writers, can be seen as an opportunity to

talk about the value of each human being, about the sense of justice and responsibility (Natl.

Ag. f. Ed. ‘’Curriculum’’). As Margaret Zamudio and others claim, CRT stresses the

importance of applying counter narratives in the classroom, a tool that students need to think

critically and to understand the voices and experiences of the oppressed (123-24). For that

reason, Freedom Writers is an effective tool to expose students to counter narratives.

       When incorporating a film such as Freedom Writers in the classroom, in which the main

character is a white person that is seen as the hero of the story, it can be problematic for how

students view their white teachers, and how they interpret their actions. Mollie K. Murphy and

Tina M. Harris mention that films that encompass interracial relations often offer narratives that

are most appealing to white audiences, one of these narratives being the white savior (49). Mrs.

Gruwell is the white lead character, who can be seen as the white savior who tries to “save”

people of color, a person often being portrayed as very generous (Murphy and Harris 50). It is

of importance to highlight the problematic nature of this issue because such narratives can lead

to misunderstandings. For that reason, it could be important for teachers to make sure students

understand that by working with Freedom Writers, it is not the teacher’s attempt to emphasize

the dominance of whiteness nor that it is superior to any other skin color.

       Although Freedom Writers depicts situations in a school in the U.S., it is still relevant

for the Swedish classroom, since almost every classroom in Sweden is multicultural. The

multicultural group in Sweden is heterogeneous although it is often seen as a homogeneous

group. The group includes students with different countries of origin, different languages,

different socio-economic conditions and more (Sandström and Nordström 172). For that reason,

similarities between the students in Freedom Writers and Swedish students can be found. What

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is more, similarities between Sweden and the U.S. are also seen in national policy and

curriculum since social justice, for example, is highlighted in both (Norberg et al. 104).

       The relevance of using films like Freedom Writers in the classroom is not only high for

the subject of anti-racism but also relevant for students’ ways of interpreting, speaking, and

understanding varieties of spoken English language. As Samina Mishra says, “a classroom

where there are many voices engaged in conversation is alive with the possibility and the

potential for knowledge-seeking” (112). Mishra also mentions that what students see as a “fun”

activity, meaning watching a film in the classroom, can also mean serious learning, which can

happen when teachers introduce films that can present multiple perspectives of and on the world

(115). With that being said, watching, listening to, and talking about Freedom Writers, and

films in general, does not only bring awareness and knowledge about racism, justice and

injustice and the situations of minority groups, especially in the U.S, but it also gives them the

opportunity to develop correctness in speech and the ability to express themselves with

variation and complexity (Natl. Ag. f. Ed., ‘’Syllabus’’).

3 Critical Race Theory Applied to Freedom Writers

       In the following analysis, Whiteness as Property and Commitment to Social Justice will

be applied to the film Freedom Writers. What is more, a part of the analysis will also be focused

on Kriese and Osborne’s four questions regarding judgements about justice and injustice. As

mentioned earlier, the first one is about how feelings and attitudes are influenced by questions

of justice and injustice, the second focuses on equity, equality and need, the third one addresses

people’s responses regarding their perceptions of injustice, and finally, the fourth question

focuses on why people are concerned about justice. In the analysis, the questions will not be

discussed in consecutive order because the scenes that represent these questions do not take

place in consecutive order in Freedom Writers. Furthermore, the analysis will include the

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connection between the stages of Racial Identity Development for white people and people of

color and the characters and actions in Freedom Writers (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 10-13).

        In the two hours of Freedom Writers there is a considerable number of scenes in which

whiteness dominates, in which there is a fight for justice not only between white people and

people of color but also between people of color representing opposite cultures, in which, from

the beginning to the end, characters go through different stages of Racial Identity Development.

For that reason, the following analysis will not include all scenes in the film but only those

which are most relevant to this thesis. All things considered, it is essential to mention that

Freedom Writers is a film which can be differently analyzed and interpreted, and to which

Critical Race Theory can be applied in various ways. Therefore, this analysis represents one

way of applying CRT to the film.

3.1 Key Tenets of Critical Race Theory in Freedom Writers

        When the United States was formed, freedom and equality were radical new ideas, yet

the economy in the U.S. was based on the enslavement of Africans, the genocide of Indigenous

people, and the takeover of the Mexican lands (DiAngelo 15-16). Whiteness as Property and

Commitment to Social Justice are both present in schools around the United States (Orozco

822). In the following two sections, these two analytical tools will be used to analyze the actions

and characters in Freedom Writers.

3.1.1 Whiteness as Property

        The first scene in which whiteness is noticeably dominant is the one in which Latina

student Eva’s father is arrested for the death of someone, a murder he did not commit (2.32).

The scene depicts Eva watching two white policemen forcefully push her father to the ground,

cuffing him, while she explains that they arrest him for retaliation. The father is put into jail for

a crime he never committed, which gives the viewer the chance to come to the conclusion that

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institutional racism is powerful in the United States. Here, the viewer is offered the chance to

see the feelings of terror, despair, and helplessness that Eva and her father are feeling in the

moment, as the focus of the camera zooms in and shifts between their faces (2.41). The viewer

can see the unequal and unjust distribution of power between the dominant and minoritized

group, in which the Hispanic man does not have any power to stand against the white

policemen, nor does he speak with them. The viewer does not get to hear why Eva’s father does

not say anything, but one can conclude that he fears for being abused, or even killed if he does

anything, which confirms what Malcolm D. Holmes claims about people of color being

considered a threat to police authority by the police (345). Police brutality includes, for instance,

abusive language, unnecessary searches, as well as deadly force, often experienced more by

minority groups than dominant groups, which is confirmed in the scene above (Holmes 344-

345).

        In another scene, Mrs. Gruwell, the teacher in Freedom Writers, decides to ask her

students questions with different levels of significance. The questions gradually become more

emotionally substantial, and through these questions for the whole class, the viewer receives a

clear picture of how privileged white people are in the film. By asking her students to raise their

hands if they have ever been shot at, the viewer can see that every student of color in the

classroom raises their hands; the one without a raised hand is the only white student in the

classroom (36.35). Evidently, the argument made here is that the white student has not been

shot at because of his privilege of being white, which shows how significant the difference

between white people and people of color is. Further, this is also a scene in which a student

mentions that Mrs. Gruwell is not respected by the class because she is a teacher. Here, an

argument can be made that she is not respected because she is a white person in a position of

power, representing an authority figure.

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       One scene in which the unequal division of benefits is clearly unfair is where Erin

Gruwell discusses her schedule, students and lesson plans with her department head, Margaret

Campbell, a white character (4.00). In this scene, Mrs. Gruwell is informed that most of the

students she will teach have to take three different buses, totaling 90 minutes each way and that

assigning homework should be left out, since they have no time to do it. Upon hearing this,

Mrs. Gruwell is shocked, and one interpretation of her reaction can be that she reacts that way

because academic rigor is not applied for these students. Another interpretation of her reaction

can be that taking so many buses is not something that she has experienced, because she, as a

white person, has the benefit of owning a car and of using it as a means of transportation

between home and work, while her students, people of color, do not have the same benefits.

       As Orozco explains, Whiteness as Property serves to create inequality in schools around

the United States, and many of the differences between white and non-white schools concern

material and curricular inequities (822). The school in Freedom Writers is a school with

predominantly white students. The viewer can notice that the classrooms with more white

students are equipped with higher quality materials such as a whiteboard with whiteboard pens,

better desks and even computers. On the other hand, the classroom in which the integration

program students study includes materials such as scratched and old desks, a blackboard with

chalk and no eraser, as well as no computers. An argument can be made that the differences in

quality between the classrooms are so obvious because people such as, among others, Ms.

Campbell, do not consider people of color worthy of equally good educational opportunities

and materials because they will destroy them. This can be seen in the scene in which Mrs.

Gruwell wants her students to read The Diary of Anne Frank, but Ms. Campbell replies: “Look

at their reading scores. If I give your kids these books, I’ll never see them again, and if I do,

they’ll be damaged” (37.42).

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        In continuation of the same scene, Ms. Campbell proceeds to suggest another version

of the same book, but torn and aged. This can be a matter easily related to fairness in connection

with equity and equality, two criteria that decide if something is just or unjust (Kriese and

Osborne 44). There is an evident unfair division of books, where students of color receive books

of lesser quality, which again, shows the disadvantaged position people of color are in. In other

words, people of color are often connected to the destruction of goods, violence, and

carelessness by some of the white characters, such as Ms. Campbell. This characterization of

depicting people of color as violent and dangerous causes hostility toward them, as DiAngelo

claims, as well as it causes feelings of superiority for white people towards themselves (91).

These feelings are quite clearly expressed by Ms. Campbell.

3.1.2 Commitment to Social Justice

        When there is injustice, people’s responses may be violence, which means, when people

act against injustice, there is a high risk of reaching civil disturbance and as mentioned, of

violence (Kriese and Osborne 45). This information represents the third of the questions

connected to judgements about justice and injustice that Kriese and Osborne describe, and it

applies well to the acts of violence in Freedom Writers (45). There are several scenes

throughout Freedom Writers in which justice and injustice are present, the greater number of

them being dealt with in violent ways. For example, there are fights between students at school

several times throughout the film. The reason for these fights is not always clear, but the viewer

may conclude that they take place because the different racial groups assume that this is a way

to deal with social injustice between minoritized groups. An example of this is the scene in

which Eva lets five gang members enter the school area to initiate a violent fight in the

schoolyard, in which the different racial groups fight each other (14.50, 15.40). An

interpretation of this can be that these outbursts of violence are each group’s own way to commit

to justice.

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       A significant scene shows five members of the group called “Little Cambodia” by Eva,

and five members in Eva’s group being in their cars and arriving at a convenience store (24.35).

Inside there are Eva, Sindy - an Asian character - and two of her friends, and a black man. After

the black man becomes angry for losing at the slot machine, he aggressively asks the cashier

for his money back. From outside, one of Eva’s friends sees everything and takes his gun out,

shooting at the black man. The black man runs away successfully but the bullet hits one of the

Asian men in the store and kills him. When describing their first justice related question, Kriese

and Osborne claim that the feelings and reactions influenced by justice are often subjective

(44). The viewer can observe and conclude that this claim applies to a great number of the acts

of violence in Freedom Writers. An observation can be made that the racial groups in the film

appear to assume that they must have strong, negative feelings against each other. That means,

the way the groups act and feel towards each other may be affected by them being

disadvantaged in the society they live in, and that is why their responses regarding their

perceptions of justice differ from other groups such as white people (Kriese and Osborne 45).

       However, if the characters want to fight for social justice, they first have to become a

community and accept each other. A great example of this is the scene in which Eva is in court

as witness for what happened in the scene described above (1.31.50). Here, Eva feels pressured

by family and her own racial group to give a false testimony in the benefit of the accused. She

is shown contemplating what she should do as she looks at the people in court, watching their

facial expressions. Further, Eva decides to tell the truth, despite the disappointment of her

family and other Hispanic people. The result of Eva’s action is her starting to collaborate and

become closer with Sindy, which proves the importance of relationships outside one’s racial

group when one does something just (Kriese and Osborne 45). Here, an assumption can be

made that Eva’s decision could have been inspired by Miep Gies’s visit at Wilson High School,

in which she told her own story about how she, as a Dutch woman, hid Anne Frank in her home

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during World War II (1.26.07). During her visit, Miep Gies mentions that she is not a hero, and

that she did what she had to do because it was the right thing, an action that is similar to Eva’s.

       Nevertheless, Kriese and Osborne’s fourth question focuses on why people are

concerned about justice, with a further focus on the importance of relationships (45). An

argument can be made that the characters of color in Freedom Writers appear to be more

concerned about justice than white people for the fact that they are more disadvantaged, that

they consider themselves and are treated as individuals less worthy of justice. Eva, together

with other characters, claims that white people have no respect for people of color, and for that

reason she cannot reciprocate the feeling (32.34). Hate is a word used often in the film, and in

most times, it is connected to the relationship between people of color and white people. Eva

justifies her hate for white people by explaining the event in which white policemen arrested

her father for the simple fact that they can because they are white, a scene described in the

previous section. A conclusion can be drawn that because of the event, Eva makes a

generalization of white people, where she believes that they are all the same, the trauma of the

past events causing a hatred for all white people. The importance of relationships that Kriese

and Osborne discuss is significant in regard to the hate Eva and other characters feel towards

their white teacher, because she is seen as the enemy representing all white people (45). On the

other hand, this changes when Mrs. Gruwell manages to create a safe haven in the classroom,

and a sense of community between students.

3.2 Racial Identity Development Theory

        The development of racial identity is a process in which white people and people of

color go through different stages (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 9). In the following two

sections, the stages of Racial Identity Development will be applied to some of the characters in

Freedom Writers. Four stages will be applied to white characters and three stages to characters

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of color. The reason for the different number of stages is that it is those stages that are most

relevant to the characters in the film.

3.2.1 Racial Identity Development Theory for Characters of Color

       The use of “our people” when referring to the people representing one’s racial

background is a good example of immersion, one of the stages that the process of Racial Identity

Development includes. Immersion represents the collecting desire to surround oneself with

visible symbols of one’s racial identity while actively avoiding symbols of whiteness (Tatum,

“Talking about Race” 11). In Freedom Writers, people of color do not only avoid symbols of

whiteness but also symbols of other people of color that do not belong to their racial group.

This stage is prominent particularly in the beginning of the film, where the majority of the

scenes that focus on people of color are about the characters keeping to their own racial group.

Each group avoids both groups of people of color representing a different race, and groups of

white people.

       To begin with, a great example of immersion is the scene in which Eva and her friend

are walking on the street while the voice-over explains that “in Long Beach”, where the film

takes place, “it all comes down to what you look like. If you’re a Latino, or Asian, or black,

you can get blasted any time you walk out your door” (3.03). Eva, and other characters,

automatically seem to believe that if someone comes from another racial group, they are

dangerous. There are statements in which the reasons for killing each other are, among others,

pride and respect. In Freedom Writers, respect seems to be gained by staying with one’s own

racial group no matter what. For example, when Eva is shown running into a group of black

people, they gather around her to beat her (3.49). An assumption can be made that every

member of the group joins in in order to not lose the other members’ respect. Hence, they stay

within the comfort of their own group, refusing to connect or to surround themselves with

symbols of whiteness or of other groups of people of color (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 11).

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       In Freedom Writers, as soon as a minority/racial group encounters one or more members

of another group, there seems to be an unwritten rule which claims that they must attack each

other, otherwise one is not worthy of the group they belong to. What is more, it also has a

connection to possession regarding territory. Eva likens school to Long Beach, which she

compares to a prison divided in different sections, depending on tribes, such as “Little

Cambodia” referring to Asian people, “The Ghetto” referring to black people, “Wonderbread

Land” referring to white people, and “South of the Border” or “Little Tijuana” referring to

Hispanic people (13.22). Each group keeps together. However, if one group violates the rules

of another group by trespassing on their territory by, for example, bothering them at school

without having earned respect, that means that they claim what is not theirs, meaning territory.

This is another example of one racial group refusing to accept another. Minoritized groups

being pitted against each other benefits white people in regard to education, adequate housing,

or middle-level employment, because people of color who seek education, loans, housing, or

jobs are more apt than similarly qualified white people to suffer rejections (Delgado et al. 12).

       This preference of one’s own race and rejection of others is seen even in many of the

scenes in which the characters are in the classroom. Here, the distrust and anger towards white

people such as Erin Gruwell, and other people of color, such as their peers, is quite clear not

only through words, but also through facial expressions and body language. As soon as the

students take a seat in the classroom, they move their desk in such a way that they face each

other’s racial group, with their backs against the other groups (9.06). This type of group

separation, or school segregation, can easily lead to racial stereotyping in their cross-group

interactions (Tatum, “Black Kids Sitting Together” 48).

       Internalization is the next step of Racial Identity Development Theory that is relevant

to the characters of color in Freedom Writers. This stage represents a more positive

development in one’s feelings towards others’ race, with an openness for whiteness and other

Carlovici 21

oppressed groups, where one tries to establish meaningful relationships with these groups of

people (Tatum “Talking about Race” 12). In Freedom Writers, internalization starts making its

debut after a field trip at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. A conclusion can be drawn that the

students realize the seriousness of unnecessary hate after gaining knowledge about World War

II and about the Holocaust. Upon seeing that people of all ages were killed for being Jewish,

the students’ beliefs that they must fight or kill each other because of differences in race and

ethnicity appear to change radically.

       After the summer break, Mrs. Gruwell’s students are shown hugging each other, talking

to each other and being more united (1.09.54). Here, the viewer can see that the characters of

color are becoming more open to whiteness and other oppressed groups, as well as seeming to

be willing to establish meaningful relationships with each other. At this point, they have already

established a meaningful relationship with their teacher. When people of color seek experiences

and knowledge beyond their own race and about other people and cultures, and stop mistaking

their race for the universe itself, they reach the last stage of racial identity development,

internalization-commitment (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 12). Upon reaching the last stage,

the characters of color in Freedom Writers learn to have a more open mind and learn the

importance of education and of pride for making it so far, despite what is said about culture

being the leading cause of the educational failure of students of color (Solórzano and Yosso

31). Here, an argument can be made that the students’ development is enabled, among other,

by the exercise of writing counter-narratives, because they were given a voice. The students’

voices and stories are made heard when Mrs. Gruwell assigns them to put their diaries together

in a book, which makes the students express the following words: “we weren’t just students in

a class anymore, we were writers with our own voices, our own stories” (1.53.02). Students

writing such narratives and turning their thoughts into a book can be seen as trauma therapy

and as a way of students making a sense of the world, a way to create their own realities by

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describing them in words (Zamudio et al. 124). The students’ development can also be seen as

the result of Mrs. Gruwell’s hard work on creating community within the classroom.

3.2.2 Racial Identity Development Theory for White Characters

        The earliest stage of the Racial Identity Development process that white people go

through is contact, representing the naïve curiosity about or fear of people of color. Curiosity

and fear are the result of stereotypes learned from people in one’s group of friends or family,

as well as from the media. Furthermore, people who go through this stage limit their interaction

with people of color (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 13). In Freedom Writers, one of the

characters that seems to constantly stay on this stage throughout the film is Margaret Campbell.

Already from the beginning she shows negative feelings towards Mrs. Gruwell’s new students.

To begin with, she insinuates that upon the integration of the underprivileged students of color,

her school, which used to have the highest scholastic results in the district, has lost 75% of its

strongest students (5.00). Ms. Campbell appears as if she wants to persuade Mrs. Gruwell to

dislike or fear her students of color, or to project her prejudices onto others, which is also helpful

to understanding her white fragility (DiAngelo 20).

        What is more, in the same scene, Ms. Campbell keeps looking at the new teacher’s pearl

necklace. After a while, she adds that the pearls are lovely, followed by her suggesting that she

would not wear them to class. Here, it is easy to interpret what the department head says as hate

towards people of color. She seems to believe that Mrs. Gruwell’s students will steal her

necklace. In a later scene, the pearl necklace receives yet another compliment, this time by

Brian Gelford, who is the other English teacher at Wilson Highschool. Immediately after

complimenting the piece of jewelry, Mr. Gelford and Ms. Campbell, who are sitting at the same

table, give each other a type of smile that makes the viewer suspicious. To put it another way,

their unspoken language suggests that the pearl necklace has been a private subject of discussion

between the two teachers, likely for the same reason that Ms. Campbell mentioned earlier,

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which is that she would not wear the pearls to class. To put this into more context, the feelings

and behavior that Ms. Campbell and Mr. Gilford show can be related to what DiAngelo calls

white fragility, meaning that they feel fear and stress when put face to face with problems

related to race (20). In contrast to Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Gilford, Mrs. Gruwell appears to

always keep away from this stage, leaning towards disintegration, immersion and autonomy

instead.

        Disintegration represents an increase in interaction with people of color. At this stage,

white people feel shame, guilt and even anger at the recognition of their own race and the

advantages whiteness comes with. What is more, while going through this stage, white people

attempt to change others’ attitudes toward people of color (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 16).

A great representation of someone who attempts to prove to other white people that their

negative attitudes towards people of color are wrong is Mrs. Gruwell. Although she shows that

she is aware of the advantages whiteness comes with by, for example, driving her students to

and from school in the evening, she also shows a lack of cultural competence. Cultural

competence is part of Gloria Ladson-Billings’ culturally relevant pedagogy, and it “refers to

the ability to help students appreciate and celebrate their cultures of origin while gaining

knowledge of and fluency in at least one other culture” (75). A scene that can be interpreted as

one in which Mrs. Gruwell lacks cultural competence is the one in which she talks about how

a Holocaust happens, because here, she seems sure that her students know what it is when they,

in fact, do not (31.34).

        Moreover, white people reach a stage in which they are uncomfortable with their own

whiteness, which leads to them wanting to search for new, more comfortable ways to be white;

this stage is called immersion. An important part of this process is, for example, learning about

whites who have been antiracist allies to people of color, because white people find it helpful

to see that others have experienced the same feelings (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 16). The

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viewer may conclude that Mrs. Gruwell is aware of how advantaged she is as a white person.

The attempts she makes to make not only herself, but her students of color feel more

comfortable with her whiteness are many, and these attempts go hand in hand with the next

stage of Racial Identity Development process, autonomy (Tatum, “Talking about Race”

17). An example is Mrs. Gruwell trying to go to higher levels of authority, one of them being

a black person, to try to persuade them to let her have the same class for Junior and Senior year.

Her attempt at persuading them fails, proving that despite the color of her skin, she can be

refused by people of color (1.46.50).

        Mrs. Gruwell puts effort into confronting racism and oppression in daily life, and the

viewer can notice an antiracist behavior conveyed by her actions every day. With each activity

she does with her students, this character reaches the autonomy stage quickly (Tatum, “Talking

about Race” 17). The development of Mrs. Gruwell’s understanding for people of color is

shown through the daily activities in the classroom, each activity becoming more meaningful

and bringing her students together. What is more, not only do the activities help tighten the

connection between students, but also between Mrs. Gruwell and the students. Firstly, she tries

to make her students realize that they have many things in common by asking them to form two

lines and to stand face to face, an activity that focuses on taking a step forward if the question

she asks applies to them. This way, the students realize that they have all gone through similar

situations in their lives (41.11).

        Secondly, the viewer can see that Erin Gruwell’s understanding of people of color and

of what her students go through develops more after she reads the journals she buys for them

(45.36). These journals contain the students’ thoughts and real-life events that they decide to

share with their teacher. The viewer, together with Mrs. Gruwell, gets to hear/read details about

their personal lives, such as seeing their friends dying, members of their families getting beaten

or arrested without reason by either other people of color or by white people, or losing their

Carlovici 25

homes. It is evident that Mrs. Gruwell feels empathy and wants her students of color to realize

their worth and to know that they are strong. This teacher’s growing awareness of her own

whiteness and fight against oppression does not only help the students in Freedom Writers to

feel more accepted, but it also helps them reach a high level of motivation regarding their own

education. For example, by going on fieldtrips to the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the students

become more interested in the books Mrs. Gruwell buys for them (The Diary Of Anne Frank),

being more motivated to read them in order to know more about past events. The students’ high

motivation regarding their education is also proven by the information the viewer can read at

the end of the film, which mentions that many of the students “were the first in their families to

graduate high school and go to college” (1.56.27).

4 Pedagogical Implications for Freedom Writers

       The following three sections include discussions of pedagogical implications for the

Swedish Upper Secondary EFL classroom, connected to the film Freedom Writers. With a

connection to Critical Race Theory in education (see e.g., Zamudio et al.), the pedagogical

implications will address what has been analyzed in the literary analysis section. However, the

third section does not comprise each stage of Racial Identity Development Theory individually

despite the detailed individual analysis in the literary analysis section, because the section will

include more general pedagogical implications due to the difficulty of discussing each stage of

the process in the classroom.

4.1 Whiteness as Property

       In order to contextualize the film before watching it, presenting and discussing the term

white privilege with upper secondary school students can be of relevance. As mentioned earlier,

the terms white privilege and Whiteness as Property both represent the advantages, benefits and

Carlovici 26

rights afforded white people, which is the reason why both are mentioned in the same manner.

Because the title Freedom Writers is inspired by the civil rights activists who participated in

Freedom Rides to protest segregated bus rides in the U.S., talking about the Freedom Riders is

important. Discussing such topics in the EFL classroom is essential because “students should

be given the opportunity to develop knowledge of living conditions, societal issues and cultural

phenomena in different contexts and parts of the world where English is used” (Natl. Ag. f. Ed.,

“Syllabus”). Here, the students can discuss with each other what the civil rights movement

Freedom Riders meant for the United States, and further discuss civil rights activists in Sweden,

such as the Civil Rights Defenders (CRD).

       One way to work with Freedom Writers is to work with Think-Pair-Share activities after

presenting the term Whiteness as Property and Freedom Riders, because by acknowledging

white privilege students challenge this issue, and thereby they acknowledge racism (Fitzgerald

13). The activity can, for example, start with each student constructing a definition of the term

on their own before sharing it with the person sitting next to them. Thereafter, the definitions

of white privilege can be shared with the entire classroom, which can improve their

communication skills. It is possible that not all students think alike regarding such topics, and

the introduction of issues such as racism can generate powerful emotional responses raging

from guilt and shame to anger and despair (Tatum, “Talking about Race” 1-2). Also, as Tatum

claims, students’ level of understanding can be remarkably enhanced if they are given the

opportunity to explore race-related material, and their responses are acknowledged and

addressed (“Talking about Race” 2). Since “no one at school should be subjected to

discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity” (Natl. Ag. f. Ed., “Curriculum”), the importance

and seriousness of terms like white privilege is something that teachers could take up before

the Think-Pair-Share activity.